Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) modem operation includes narrow bandwidth channels (6 or, 8 MHz, 40-50 Megabits per second (Mbps)) for downstream transmissions and even narrower upstream transmission channels (10's kHz-100's kHz). Currently, Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS) used to support customer's cable modems can support large numbers of customers with a single downstream channel and one or two upstream channels.
Recently, transmission of High Definition Television (HDTV) signals has become increasingly common. The transmission of video data, and especially HDTV video' data, is highly bandwidth intensive due to the amount of data that must be transmitted to support the video stream. However, the bandwidth allocation of present systems does not support delivery of video to large numbers of subscribers without increasing the throughput of the entire CMTS system. For instance, for video to be delivered to approximately 100 subscribers, the capacity of a CMTS must approach at least 500 Mbps to 1000 Mbps for the video alone.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide systems and methods that permit video delivery to a large number of customers without excessive replication of the CMTS functionality and throughput capabilities. Preferably, the system would allow video to be delivered to end customers while avoiding video data passing through the CMTS at all.